Gillingham midfielder Stuart O’Keefe says their injury crisis has helped bring the players closer together.

Despite the club’s position inside the bottom four of League 1 there remains a positive vibe within the camp.

O’Keefe, captaining the side in Kyle Dempsey’s injury absence, said: “You have to stay positive, you can’t feel sorry for yourself, because if you do and we start letting negativity creep in we will get beaten. You are making it hard for yourself.

“Everyone around the place is positive and that is the way to be.

“Morale is really good because we have such a small squad, if that makes sense. We have had to really come together and unite and that has made it okay.

"People are happy and looking forward to the games and everyone has each other’s back, we have a couple more hopefully coming back (from injury) in the next few days and weeks and hopefully we can pull away from the relegation zone with a few wins over the Christmas period.

“I have been in changing rooms before where you have big squads and sometimes you don’t speak to people for a couple of days, but here there is no chance of that, we are a real small squad and really united, it is a good group, they are as honest as they come. It is a nice atmosphere at the moment.

“Some days there aren’t many in to talk to at all so there is no chance of getting your little cliques and your little gangs or anything like that, everyone is happy to see each other, we are really united and that is helping morale.”

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Next up for the injury-hit Gills is a trip to Rotherham United tonight. The last time they were in South Yorkshire they took a point off Sheffield Wednesday.

O’Keefe sees no reason why they can’t take something back to Kent with them again.

He said: “It is only League 1, it’s not anything to be really scared about, you can take points off these so called big clubs and since I have been here we have always thrived off playing the bigger opposition, those with bigger budgets, stadiums and fans.

“When we are up against it we dig in and we have got points off (the bigger) teams numerous times, it will have to be another one of them, it is one we are all looking forward.”

Gillingham have dropped into the relegation zone after finding points hard to come by of late, suffering with so many players out injured.

O’Keefe was asked if they were in a false position.

He replied: “Everyone says the table doesn’t lie and that is true but for us it is a bit different because we have had such bad injuries to key players and for quite a large amount of time as well. Some people have been out for a long period.

"When we have got everyone back fit we will have no issue about pulling away from that group but it is frustrating as we can’t seem to get enough people out there to do it and get the points.

“But I am sure they will come and we just have to stick together and do what we can.”